Conveyors are used in a number of applications to convey an article from a first point to a second point. As an example, conventional conveyors can include roller conveyors, which include a plurality of motorized and non-motorized rollers, as well as belt conveyors, which include belts that are driven by one or more motorized rollers. Typically, one or more sections of the conventional conveyor are controlled by a controller, such as a computer. The controller generally controls the motorized rollers or motors that operate the belt of the conveyor to move an article along the conveyor. In conventional conveyor controllers, the controller also attempts to keep track of whether an article is being conveyed by monitoring sensors, such as photo-eyes, configured on the conveyor.
However, conventional controllers for conveyor systems often lack the capability for advanced control of feedback. For example, conventional controllers are able to determine whether an article is sensed by a photo-eye but unable to discern any additional information about that article. Moreover, conventional controllers are often unable to track differently sized articles as they move through various portions of the conveyor. This, in turn, can result in a jam situation or result in collisions between articles. In any event, information about the article itself is often unknown or indeterminable.
Moreover, conventional controllers are often difficult to maintain and replace. For example, a conveyor typically includes multiple controllers. But each controller of the conveyor must be programmed to work with the other controllers. Conventional programming of multiple controllers has often involved programming each individually then attempting to operate them together. But this conventional programming is time consuming and laborious, often involving dip-switch setting and complex algorithmic management to implement even a simple run of a conveyor (e.g., a “linear” conveyor without any diverts or mergers).
Also for example, some conventional controllers may require that each controller for a conveyor is reprogrammed if even one is replaced. Moreover, in the event that all conventional controllers need not be reprogrammed simply to replace one, conventional replacement of a controller often involves programming that replacement controller ahead of time. This can be a laborious process, as the exact configuration of a previous controller may not be available, requiring the configuration to be recreated from scratch.
Consequently, there is a continuing need for improving control of conveyors and the controllers that perform such control of conveyors.